University of Birmingham

BIRMINGHAM MARSHALL SCHOLARSHIPS

This Scholarship is for Graduate Study in any subject at either Masters or Doctoral level at the University of Birmingham and will be for up to two years (with a possibility of a third year for doctoral studies). If awarded a Birmingham Marshall Scholarship candidates would be expected to study at the University of Birmingham.

The following Information has been provided by the University of Birmingham.

General Information

Our range of research is one of the widest in the UK and has powered our University for over 100 years, won 8 Nobel prizes and made an impact on the region, the nation and the world. At Birmingham our research record speaks for itself. More than 80 per cent of all research carried out at Birmingham is rated as internationally excellent or world-leading, according to the latest UK-wide research quality survey (REF 2014). The results also showed that 87 per cent of our research activity has a global impact, confirming our position among the world’s top universities for research in a broad range of areas, from History and Education to Chemical Engineering and Psychology. This track record of research excellence means our students enjoy a world-class educational experience, studying and working alongside academics who are global experts and leaders in their field. It is fitting therefore that we were named The Times and The Sunday Times University of the Year in 2013-14 – the premier accolade in British Higher Education.

Birmingham is a university of firsts. Our University grew out of a radical vision for a new model of higher education in the UK. Founded in 1900, Birmingham was England’s first civic university, where students from all religions and backgrounds were accepted on an equal basis. That spirit of innovation continues through our ground-breaking research in areas ranging from cancer studies to sustainable energy: research that impacts on society and people’s lives.

We belong to the prestigious Russell Group of research-intensive UK universities, and have long-standing partnerships with leading companies and other academic institutions throughout the world, giving our students access to the very latest theoretical and applied knowledge in their chosen subject area.

Our extensive academic portfolio offers over 350 taught postgraduate programmes and a wealth of research opportunities. Given the breadth of research supervision available, we have an exceptional ability to take on ambitious research topics, and interdisciplinary research is therefore particularly welcomed.

Come to Birmingham and be inspired by our stunning campus, which is rich in heritage and beauty, set in a leafy green site with a wealth of amenities and attractions. Our world-class facilities are continually being improved and developed, with an investment of around £1 million a week.

Fast Facts

With over 13,000 postgraduate students, we are one of the most popular universities for postgraduate study in the UK.

4000 international students from 150 different countries make Birmingham one of the largest international student communities in the UK.

We are a founding member of Universitas 21, a prestigious global network of 24 research-led universities across 16 countries; and have recently opened a collaborative research centre in Guangzhou, China.

Our Arts and Humanities researchers are among the very best in the UK, highlighting our world-class research programme. Philosophy, History, Classics, Theology and Religion, and West African Studies are amongst the top ranked departments in the country and recognised for bringing significant benefits to society.

Our Special Collections and Archives consist of 120,000 pre-850 books and 3 million manuscripts. The Mingana Collection of Middle Eastern manuscripts is the largest collection after the Vatican and the Bibliothéque National de France.

The Barber Institute of Fine Arts, located on campus, has been celebrated by The Observer newspaper as ‘one of the finest small art galleries in Europe’. Containing works by Botticelli, Degas, Monet, Van Dyck, Picasso, Matisse and Rembrandt, it is an exceptional resource for researchers in Art History: www.barber.org.uk

Our interdisciplinary Ironbridge International Institute for Cultural Heritage lies within the dramatic landscape of the Ironbridge Gorge at the heart of the World Heritage Site and works in partnership with the Ironbridge Gorge Museum. It provides an opportunity for scholars from all disciplines to focus on cultural heritage through a multi-disciplinary lens: http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/schools/iaa/departments/ironbridge/index.aspx

The University has recently launched two major cross-college initiatives to promote intedisciplinarity across campus:

The Institute of Advanced Studies (IAS) promotes cross-disciplinary research by bringing together expertise from across the breadth of the University to address major cross-cutting themes that are important, relevant and timely.

Our new Liberal Arts and Sciences degree programme is a new concept in English university education, inspired by the perception that the liberal arts system, particularly as it has evolved in North America, provides some of the best undergraduate education in the world.

Music is at the heart of our campus with the £16 million Bramall Music Building recently opening its doors in 2012. The Bramall Building houses one of the UK’s leading Music Departments, which began in 1905 with the appointment of Sir Edward Elgar as the University of Birmingham’s first Professor of Music.

Our world-leading Centre for Formulation Engineering| was awarded the 2011 Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education. This is the second time that the University has received the Queen’s Anniversary Prize, the most prestigious honour that can be awarded to UK universities.

The University has recently partnered with Rolls-Royce, the global power systems company, to establish a new £60m High Temperature Research Centre. The Centre builds on a longstanding successful collaboration between the two organisations, and will help develop future generations of aero engines, making greener, more efficient air travel possible. In Physics we have just received investment of £80 million to develop Quantum Technologies.

2011 saw the official launch of a ground-breaking £20 million trauma care collaboration between the University of Birmingham, University Hospitals Birmingham Foundation Trust, the Department of Health and the Ministry of Defence.

Birmingham has been chosen as the first in a unique chain of Cancer Research UK Centres to be launched around the UK, and selected as the UK’s higher education Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) centre which will promote these subject areas throughout England and Wales.

The Institute of Translational Medicine (ITM), which is scheduled to open in summer 2015, will build on Birmingham’s excellent track record in clinical trials and help to progress the very latest scientific research findings from the University into enhanced treatments for patients across a range of major health issues including cancer and liver disease.

Birmingham is one of only 23 UK universities to have received the HR Excellence in Research Award: a European driven benchmark which acknowledges how the University manages, develops and supports its research community.

Life in Birmingham

Life at Birmingham offers the best of both worlds – a peaceful, thriving campus community on the doorstep of one of Europe’s most culturally dynamic cities. Birmingham is the UK’s second largest city and the University’s very own railway station means the city centre is only ever minutes away. The New York Times named Birmingham as one of the world’s top 20 places to visit in 2012 and the Rough Guide has recently listed Birmingham as one of the top 10 cities in the world. Birmingham is abuzz with entertainment, nightlife, culture and shopping, and has been hailed as the UK’s ‘culinary capital’ by the BBC food magazine, Olive. Sports enthusiasts will appreciate the rich heritage that Birmingham offers. The city is home to the English Football League, the world’s oldest lawn tennis club, the world-renowned Edgbaston Cricket Ground, and several premier league football clubs. Culture vultures will enjoy the thriving independent arts scene, including the UK’s biggest free arts festival, Artsfest, and the Flatpack Film Festival, as well as a host of entertainment venues ranging from the Hippodrome and Symphony Hall to gigs at the LG Arena, O2 Academy and National Indoor Arena.

Birmingham has an enviable central location and is an excellent base from which to explore the rest of the country. We’re under two hours from London and with an international airport on our doorstep, the rest of Europe is easily accessible too.

Winners of the Birmingham Marshall Scholarships

2006

Kent DeBenedictisUS University: United States Military Academy

Kent DeBenedictis of Boca Raton, Florida, is majoring in International Relations and German. He has worked in the Office of the Secretary of Defense's Policy branch and the U.S. Army European Headquarters. Kent also participated in an exchange program at the German Military Academy. The military positions he has held include Regimental Operations Officer, Company Commander, and Air Assault School Class Commander. A future Infantry officer, Kent plans to earn an MA in European Studies from the University of Birmingham to study the future of NATO and an MA in War Studies from King's College, London to study conflict and cooperation from a non-American, non-military perspective.

Rebekah HurtUS University: Southern Methodist University

Rebekah Hurt graduates in 2006 as a President's Scholar from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, having majored in English with a creative writing specialization. Her primary academic interests involve West African (especially Ghanaian) publishing development; she has presented her research most recently at the Reaching the Margins Conference, London. Rebekah is an administrator of SMU's publications Discourse and Hilltopics; a member of Phi Beta Kappa; a former NSHSS Student Council representative; a delegate to the Student Conference on National Affairs; a member of the Dedman College Dean search committee; and a Rotunda, National Merit, National Coca Cola, Presidential Freedom, Claes Nobel, Pascal Covici Jr., and Richter award-recipient. Rebekah will pursue studies in African literature and post-colonial critical theory at the University of Birmingham.

Adam BerryUS University: Emory University

Adam Berry, a native of Salisbury, Maryland, graduated from Parkside High School in 2002 and will graduate from Emory with majors in Middle Eastern Studies and Political Science. When he isn't researching for his thesis on language and politics in Iran, he divides his time between serving as vice-president of the College Democrats, a Resident Advisor, and running the university's chapter of Americans for Informed Democracy, a non-partisan organization dedicated to promoting global understanding. He will pursue an M.A. in Applied Corpus Linguistics at Birmingham, and an M.St. in Modern Middle Eastern Studies at Oxford, with a focus on Iran.

2009

Conor Clarke US University: Amherst College

Conor Clarke graduated Phi Beta Kappa and summa cum laude from Amherst College in 2008 with a double major in political theory and English. Currently a fellow at the Atlantic Monthly, he has worked previously for The Guardian and The New Republic, and has reported from central Africa and Cuba. His work has also appeared in the Boston Globe, Slate and the American Prospect, and he is the co-editor of a book about the economics of corporate social responsibility. At Amherst, he edited two college magazines, published academic legal scholarship and served as a teaching assistant in political economy. Conor will study Economic Policy at the University of Birmingham.